About 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by warplanes dropping 500-pound bombs assaulted a town near the Syrian border Saturday reputed to be a crossing point for foreign fighters. House-to-house searches were planned to root out all resistance and hamper the guerrilla network operating in the Euphrates Valley. The operation in Husaybah, about 200 miles northwest of Baghdad, the capital, was one of the largest since U.S. forces retook the Sunni triangle city of Fallujah a year ago. Early reports, however, indicated only sporadic resistance, a sign that guerrillas might have fled the town before the attack began. As of midnight local time, there were no reported casualties among the coalition or civilians forces, as operations continued. The 2nd Marine Division said 1,000 soldiers of the Iraqi army were taking part alongside 2,500 U.S. Marines, soldiers and sailors. The assault was said to be the first time that battalion-size Iraqi units have fought alongside U.S. forces in restive Anbar province, stretching west almost from Baghdad to the Syrian border.
